Emmanuel Otim (Uganda)
“Where is everybody when the children on the streets are crying? Where is everybody when the children on the street are dying? I see nobody when I look left or right. I see thousands of children when I look back from where I came and it is bleak and unclear when I look forward. Are these children invisible or are they not children enough to be children? According to UN report of 2014, over 150 million children live on the streets around the world.
According to the New Vision Ugandan newspaper over 15000 children live on the street. These children have been pushed away from home due to several factors like the recent civil war that claimed thousands of lives, alcoholism and child neglect, domestic violence and child labour coupled with psychological torture.”
Obeno is a street academy that will use art as a foundation for self-discovery and self-expression. Being an artist, Emmanuel uses creative and performing arts as a medium to advocate for, inspire, empower and heal the hearts and minds of homeless children. This includes skills development, capacity building, counseling and guidance and above all occupational therapy.
Carolina Ortiz Ardaya (Bolivia)
“There is much to like about Bolivia, which is a culturally and ethnically diverse country, but the country also counts the highest figures for poverty and sexual violence in South America.
UN studies show that one in every three women in Bolivia experienced some kind of sexual abuse before the age of 18, mostly within the family. It happens in all social strata, but the most affected are the low-income sectors as therapies are long term and expensive, and the complex legal system requires money to follow through.
Women are being reduced to sexual objects. We are not being considered independent individuals.”
To create a new mindset regarding equality and mutual respect in children, women, and men, to reduce machismo culture, to create opportunities to overcome poverty for vulnerable women and to create access to legal and medical support systems, Carolina started Centro Colibri – Hummingbird Center.
Hummingbirds are hard workers, they do adapt to any situation, no matter how demanding or challenging. Through pollination, flying from flower to flower, they change nature and stabilize the environment. “Similarly to humming birds, my beneficiaries will work little by little to change the environment in which they live.”
Learn more about Carolina’s project at http://centrocolibribolivia.org/
Prasad Thete (India)
“According to the National Crime Records Bureau, everyday seven people die in India because buildings collapse. Any improperly design building can cost human life.
Buildings are meant to be safe places to live in but are our buildings really safe?
Architecture and structural design is often not considered while constructing a building in rural areas. There are three root causes of this problem:
Lack of awareness, lack of access to technology and lack of money.”
Coming from Latur, Maharashtra, a place that was hit by a severe earthquake, Prasad Thete developed an interest in disaster resistant, affordable architecture. When natural disasters like floods, storms and earthquakes hit, many lives are lost because of poor housing conditions. Therefore, he, together with his partner works on methods that can help saving lives and additionally increase the well-being and livelihood of people in rural villages.
Learn more about Prasad’s project at http://urvee.org/
Joshua Njeke Egbe (Cameroon)
“The present civil war is significantly affecting food production and supplies in Cameroon. In November 2017, the United Nations estimated that the civil war has prompted the displacement of about 437,500 civilians and this increased humanitarian problems. These displaced persons have abandoned their farmlands to seek refuge while many orphans of the civil war are finding themselves in orphanages where life itself is not easy.
Many orphans within the ages of 1 to 17 are reportedly going to bed without food many times in a month (Journal of Food Security, 2017). Such children cannot be expected to benefit from any other services if their most pressing and basic need is not provided.”
According to Joshua, organic farming on its own has a lot to do with peace since as no chemical is being used to kill insects and bacterias. Our soils are becoming a victim to chemical agriculture destroying all microorganisms in the soil. The best way to understand nature is to live in harmony with it. This set of young farmers will be part of a new generation of environmentalists that are trying to build communities which prefer health to wealth.
Learn more about Joshua’s project at http://www.peacecrops.org/
Faruk Musema (Uganda)
In Uganda, children and youth with disabilities are usually not given opportunities to fully engage in sports and other activities. Adaptive sports doesn’t play a role in schools.
According to Faruk, this problem is fueled by societal stigma and systematic discrimination. Due to cultural believes, norms, myths, stereotypes and negative attitudes, many people don’t believe in the abilities of children with disabilities.
Only one out of eleven public universities in Uganda, trains teachers and social workers in special needs education. Many teachers in regular schools have no knowledge and no proper training, and hardly any NGOs in Uganda focus on sports for sustainable empowerment and development.
Faruk’s passion is sports. But because he was too ‘light weight’ he was thrown out of a regional football team. Thus he became empathetic for those who are always sidelined, stigmatized and body shamed.
Ability Sports Africa will focus on the empowerment of girls with disabilities, on trainers to conduct adaptive sports, on organising sports festivals and adventure tours, adapting new kind of sports for different disabilities, inventing equipment, and campaigns for adaptive sports.
The long-term objective will be the establishment of a recreational center with accessible facilities.
Learn more about Faruk’s project at http://abilitysportsafrica.org/
Meghana Raveendra (India)
“According to National Crime Records Bureau, in India, One student commits suicide EVERY HOUR!
Exam failure is the leading cause for suicide rate among children in India. It accounts for ¼ of the suicides each year.
Such alarming statistics show the correlation between education system and mental health challenges faced by children and the youth of the country.
According to Meghana, here are the major root causes to this problem:
– Grading and Standardised tests system
– Rigid Curriculum and Methodologies
– Influence of Cultural beliefs
– Competition and Winning
– Discrimination and Segregation
I co-founded moringa – an organisation that wants to redefine education. Just like moringa, in today’s climate crisis is redefining nutrition. I want to bring moringa to different schools and initiate 3 month workshops in four phases, knowing the cause of anxiety, expressing your fears, nurturing your abilities and finding the joy of learning.”
Learn more about Meghana’s project at http://www.moringas.org
Sunday Oylel (Uganda)
“According to the Northern Uganda Survey of 2004, it is estimated that about 80% of people with disabilities live in conditions of long-term poverty. This means they have limited access to education and vocational training. Many have no access to Information and Communication Technology and only a few have the possibility to find employment.
We will teach all the major subjects taught in mainstream schools in Uganda and incorporate it with vocational skills training. The difference will be the practical approach. Today I am known as a passionate musician and a founder of an organization but tomorrow I want to be part of bridging the gap between the disable and non-disable between school and life after school.”
PESA is a registered organization that promotes equal rights and opportunities for people with disabilities and marginalized youth and children between the age of thirteen to twenty five.
Learn more about Sunday’s project at www.pesaafrica.org
Yasinto Oyat (Uganda)
“According to the UN report of 2014, 78% of Uganda’s population is below 30 years of age. Additionally, according to the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, about 40,000 youth are released annually into the job market to compete for about 9,000 jobs. The un-skilled war orphans are more disadvantaged and automatically fall through the cracks.
Yasinto envisions a specialised training and production centre for scrap metal recycling and use of locally available raw materials. This will be established for the production of equipment needed by those who are old, ill or disabled. All these items will provide mobility access to people with physical disabilities in public places. A weekly radio program called “Wu Winy Wa” which literally means “listen to us” will be conducted. This radio program will offer space for 3 to 5 war orphans who have the opportunity to talk about their lives on the streets. During the show, listeners are invited to share their interaction with war orphans whom in general they refer to as “Aguu”, which means “useless”. This will be also an opportunity to create awareness about the contribution of these youth as social change agents, so useful youngsters. It will also be a platform for connecting future employers to the skilled orphans.
Learn more about Yasinto’s project at http://carissauganda.org/
Akhilesh Sharma (India)
“Where do you dispose your electronic devices? Do you just throw it away? And where does it go?”
Akhilesh grew up in a slum in Delhi which taught him the value of old products of all kind. After working with youth, he witnessed firsthand how a second hand computer can change the life of a person that doesn’t have the means to get a new one. Being an electronic engineer, he wants to slow down the e-waste growth by assuring to maximized use of the device’s life.
When electronic devices break and/or are replaced by newer models they become e-waste. Many people are addicted to gadgets. This has resulted in a competition to make cheap and affordable devices. Nowadays instead of repairing, it is easier (and cheaper) to buy a new product.
According to the 2018 Global Forum report, approx. 48.8 Million Tons of electronic waste is generated worldwide. India is the 5th largest electronic waste producing country in the world. Only 10%-15% of electronic waste is recycled. The rest of electronic waste ends up in landfills. These electronics don’t decompose and they become a hazard. Contact with water and sunlight trigger chemical processes which increases the damage to the environment as well as cause health issues for people and animals.
My organisation focuses on electronics waste minimization and empowering rural communities by providing second-hand digital learning resources to the organization/individual’s working in rural area.
Learn more about Akhilesh’ project that is now called http://yantradaan.org/
Mark Sabwami (Kenya)
“At the age of 16, I realized that I could not read anymore and that I would become blind.”
Kitale, is an agricultural region, which depends mostly on maize farming. The underdeveloped infrastructure in this area has crippled access to services for most parts of Kitale. There is no rehabilitation centre for the blind. Due to poverty, parents are unable to pay for rehabilitation services. The complete dependence on others, affects social relationships and influences attitudes.
Since rehabilitation services are limited and located in areas that not all blind people can access, it is important to focus on rural areas like Kitale, which is located 450 km away from Machakos Technical Institute, which means the blind people of these isolated counties have trouble accessing training.
The training offered at Jipange will include braille, adaptive computer technology, specialized orientation and mobility training and skills empowerment. Accommodation will be available for 40 participants enrolled in the 6 month residential program.”
Learn more about Mark’s project at www.jipange.org
Ragunath Veeravel (India)
“An old Chinese proverb says “the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The Second best time is now”
Ragunath grew up in a farm where he enjoyed nature to the fullest. One day, everything changed. Forests were cut to make space for factories, the river he used to swim in got polluted, and the ground water became undrinkable. 30 years later, he got a request to sign a petition against the construction of a four-lane highway through the Auroville forest. This triggered him to stand up and start to work on afforestation.
To provide opportunities for people to restore a connection with nature, to learn about the importance of a green and environmentally friendly society AARANYA, focuses on four main programs:
1. Model community forests which are owned by local inhabitants
2. Refurbish abandoned parks/gardens into blooming green lush surroundings.
3. Cycling rallies with specific topics to create awareness on “TREE ADOPTION” & “Free the trees”. Starting cycling club, they start creating awareness through cycling rally on every Sunday.
4. Providing assistance to create Mini forest & Roof gardening.
Learn more about Ragunath’s project at http://www.aaranya.org/
Siddesh Sakore (India)
“Due to irregular income from farming my father decided that I should be an engineer, so I could get a job and then I would be able to take care of my family. To become an engineer was not easy for me and my family. I had to take educational loan for my studies. My brother had to sacrifice his education and he had to get a job at an early stage of life to support me.
Even then the money was not enough and I started working as a data entry operator. We did all this, expecting that my degree would get me a well-paid job. But the situation became worse when I graduated. There was no work.”
“Our organisation introduces the family farmer model that supports farmers in generating income through organic farming. Many families have a family doctor. What about having a family farmer? This farmer will be responsible for healthy, organic food and contribute to a healthy living of the consumer. Consumers will know their farmer; they will know how their food has been growing before it is put on the plate.”
Learn more about Siddesh’s project at http://www.agrorangers.org/
Olubodun Akinyele (Nigeria)
When Olubodun got to know about coding, he was fascinated, and using what he learned, pulled him out of poverty.
Olubodun wants to bring other children out of extreme poverty, by teaching and mentoring them in how to be ethical computer programmers for social change.
Children from poor homes are forced into child labour, organised crime and social vices. When they become adults, the life of crime is not new to them. They want to escape poverty, so they resort to illegal activities and internet scams seems the easiest way with less physical involvement.
For 52 weeks, his organisation Ayiti will train 20 children from extreme poverty the knowledge of ethical computer programming to make a difference. These children will be exposed to realities that are alternative to what they know and they will be assigned to a role model they can learn from.
Learn more about Olubodun’s project at http://ayiti.com.ng/
Emmanuel Otim (Uganda)
“Where is everybody when the children on the streets are crying? Where is everybody when the children on the street are dying? I see nobody when I look left or right. I see thousands of children when I look back from where I came and it is bleak and unclear when I look forward. Are these children invisible or are they not children enough to be children? According to UN report of 2014, over 150 million children live on the streets around the world.
According to the New Vision Ugandan newspaper over 15000 children live on the street. These children have been pushed away from home due to several factors like the recent civil war that claimed thousands of lives, alcoholism and child neglect, domestic violence and child labour coupled with psychological torture.”
Obeno is a street academy that will use art as a foundation for self-discovery and self-expression. Being an artist, Emmanuel uses creative and performing arts as a medium to advocate for, inspire, empower and heal the hearts and minds of homeless children. This includes skills development, capacity building, counseling and guidance and above all occupational therapy.
Wurok Chan (South Sudan)
“Imagine the following situation: You have to leave your home all of a sudden, you don’t even think about your property, the only thing you do is to run to save your life. That is the situation of thousands of people who are facing the challenges of war.”
Having spent 20 years as an internally displaced person in Sudan, Wurok has experienced the trauma of war and the resulting alienation. From his small village in South Sudan, he was displaced to North Sudan to seek safety and elusive peace. He sees interconnections between education and peace building.
Wurok envisions to start a community peace center that empowers different tribes to come together, have dialogues and create a culture of understanding that will eventually lead to a formation of a peace village.
The Community’s Peace Center promotes secure livelihoods through training in organic farming and animal husbandry. The program supports the beneficiaries to resettle, build assets, start their lives again, and increase their ability to integrate and use resources sustainably.
Fitted with solar panels, bio gas plants, the center is a model for treating the environment and each other in a peaceful, non-violent way
Learn more about Wurok’s project at www.credosouthsudan.org
Lalita Singh (India)
“Himachal Pradesh is situated in the shadows of the great Himalayan mountain range, in the northern part of India. It is indeed known for its beautiful scenery.
But the oppression of women and girls who are not allowed to talk about their opinions, who don’t get space to express their feelings or even talk about personal health issues is also part of the culture in this particular state.
I have experienced in my own family and neighbourhood, that boys get all the attention of the family, girls are hidden in houses. The girl child is not seen as a part of the family because the parents think why we should invest in a child who will anyway belong to another family after marriage. Women are seen as less than men. The son is regarded as a means of future security. Parents feel girl children are a burden on them. So the girls receive less support for education and are denied the freedom to make decision for their own life.
I am going to start my organization “samman”, which means “respect”, and we work to give voices to overcome the women’s silence, struggle and we mobilize them for action.”
Learn more about Lalita’s project at www.indiasamman.org
Samantha Mudiriro (Zimbabwe)
“I grew up in an orphanage and I was given a family there but I always felt lonely. I started singing and dancing in front of a mirror as a way to express myself and the mirror became my friend. Growing up in an orphanage means, 10 of us being catered for by one mother. You might imagine what that is like. At times you would want a shoulder to lean on, someone to talk to about everything and anything. But this was not the case. This however is not the only challenge that orphans are facing.”
Most Orphans are facing major challenges when they are about to leave the care.
Some of the challenges include: cultural shock being in a non caring environment or facing unemployment.
“This is the reason why I started “Wangu”. In Wangu we want to build strong connections and networks that will help orphans as they leave orphanages.”
Learn more about Samantha’s project at www.wangurc.org